The Staircase

Filmmaker Jean-Xavier de Lestrade, who won a Best Documentary Oscar for his Murder on a Sunday Morning (VL Online-8/03), helmed this compelling nonfiction miniseries chronicling the investigation and trial of Michael Peterson, a Durham, NC writer who was arrested for the 2001 murder of his wife Kathleen, an executive at Nortel. Although Peterson claimed he discovered his wife at the bottom of the staircase, investigators determined she was murdered and the husband was fingered as the culprit. Initially, it seemed as if this might be a case of malicious prosecution since Peterson was well-known for his vituperative newspaper columns ridiculing the effectiveness of local law enforcement, but hitherto unknown aspects of Peterson's private life began to emerge during the trial casting doubt on his innocence. The Staircase goes into extraordinary depth (the cameras had rare access to the high-priced--estimated at one million dollars--defense team assembled to represent Peterson), telescoping the sensationalistic three-month trial (with its 65 witnesses and more than 800 pieces of evidence) into eight 45-minute episodes that offer more genuine thrills and emotions than any fictional courtroom drama could dream of inventing. DVD extras include a "making-of" documentary, interviews with the director and producer, bonus footage, and an illustrated booklet. Highly recommended. Editor's Choice. Aud: C, P. (P. Hall)